Surrette (was HUP Solar One?) [RE-wrenches]

[Allan Sindelar]

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Travis Creswell, Ozark Solar" <ozsolar at ipa.net>
Lately we've been doing more and more systems where there is a real need for
heavy duty batteries, the customers budget will allow a quality battery and
maintenance can be accomplished regularly.  I've got a few sets of the KS
series Surrettes out there and I'm not as impressed with them as I'd like to
be.  Time will tell, but for now I'd like to try something else.

Travis,
I have become a bit disillusioned with Surrette as well. We have used them
for several years because of their public reputation gained through
advertising, and because of the relatively easy shipping logistics of having
Dankoff in the same town, with stock, piggyback orders, and a forklift. For
those very practical reasons, we'll probably keep using them, but not as
enthusiastically after our last purchase.

So I submit this post in the spirit of the Wrenches list, which is to share
our professional experiences with the products we use, good or bad. The
piece which follows is from a letter I sent to Dankoff Solar for forwarding
to Surrette. The reply to Dankoff from Surrette follows.

<Rolls-Surrette Battery Company markets themselves as "America's #1 Solar
Battery Company", but honestly I am fed up with their products. In little
more than a year I have had to deal with three failures. Each has consumed
our time and cost us money, and while our warranty followup has maintained
good will with our customers, it is a costly way to achieve it. This latest
problem is the worst by far.

We ordered six PS-25-KS 4V batteries as a replacement set for a 24V remote
home system. The customer specifically asked for the best batteries we could
supply, so we recommended a single string of KS-series Surrettes. I built a
custom battery box and planned the installation carefully, as the clients
were living there and power needed to be maintained as continuously as
possible. We needed to remove and recycle 24 leaking L16s, replace areas of
acid-damaged sheetrock, install the new enclosure, install the batteries and
complete hookup, cabling, venting, and peripheral details. I planned a
two-day installation with four of the old L16s remaining for minimal
overnight power. As these batteries weigh 315 lbs. each, I subcontracted
pickup, delivery and unloading of the new batteries to a local contractor
and his helper. He rented a portable hoist to safely get the batteries off
of his 3/4T 4X4 truck and used a hand truck to maneuver the batteries into
the battery room.

When I routinely checked voltage and polarity the first 4V battery measured
0.005VDC. It turns out that one of the cells in this battery had been
assembled with the polarity of the cell reversed, and .005V was the voltage
difference between the two 2V cells. I cut the black silicone and removed
the top, and determined that this was indeed the case. The contractor
brought over his hoist and we lifted the two cells out of the case. We
pulled the two cells in the battery box out of their red case, and I hooked
them up with the defective cell wired in reverse to establish proper
polarity and give me the needed 24VDC.

It astounds me that Surrette failed to perform a simple voltage check on
batteries that are ready to ship, especially on their largest, heaviest and
most costly cells. As a result of talking with you, I know that Surrette is
sending a replacement battery. I now get to look forward to a callback trip
to a job in a remote site that is otherwise complete, in order to replace
this cell. I must pick up the replacement, rent a hoist, hire a helper,
disassemble the box (I made one end panel removable), shut down the system,
replace the battery, reprogram the inverter, load the old cells, and return
them to either Dankoff or the scrapyard. That's about half a day's work,
plus travel: $500 of labor, rental, and service time. Given that this
complex problem could have so easily been avoided by one minute of in-house
testing by Surrette before the batteries were shipped, I expect to bill
Surrette for my costs to correct a problem caused by their lack of basic
quality control. Please support me in this, as they should take
responsibility for their fundamental error and cover my expenses to correct
it.

Please advise me how to proceed.

Allan Sindelar
Positive Energy>

Hi ---,
Simon has made the arrangements for the replacement battery (not just the
cell) to be sent out as soon as we were notified that there was a problem.
Under the Warranty Policy, this battery was sent out at no charge.  The
freight charges associated with shipping the replacement were waived for
this replacement.  This was done due to the understanding that others would
also incur their "cost of doing business" concerning this replacement.
There are no provisions in our Warranty Policy to cover an installer's
expenses for servicing their customer.
If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please feel free to contact
me.

Regards,
Darin Pettis
Surrette Battery Company Limited

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